About El Alamein
Although the small city of El Alamein gets quite popular among Egyptians during the summer time because of the many wonderful summer resorts in the region, it is still far away from the touristic map of travelers visiting Egypt.
Famous mainly for hosting one of the most important battles of World War II, El Alamein has a great future if the Egyptian government gives it the proper attention. This area has some of the most fascinating beaches overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt that travelers from all over the world would enjoy during their holidays in Egypt.
El Alamein Map
Situated at the Northern edge of the Western Desert of Egypt, El Alamein has wonderful long beaches overlooking the shores of the Mediterranean Sea from East to West for more than 70 kilometers.
El Alamein is located about 370 kilometers to the North West of Cairo, 100 kilometers to the East of Alexandria, about 900 kilometers to the North West of Hurghada, around 850 kilometers to the North West of Sharm El Sheikh, 1000 kilometers to the North of Luxor, 1200 kilometers to the North of Aswan, and about 170 kilometers to the East of the city of Marsa Matrouh.
It is now much easier to reach El Alamien because of the new Road that takes the driver from the Cairo Alexandria high way to the Wadi El Natroun High Way that leads directly to Marina, the most popular and largest summer resort in El Alamein.
The small city of El Alamein has a population of less then 10,000 people. The Alexandria Marsa Matrouh road occupies the Northern border of the city, the railway line to the South, the Wadi El Natroun Road to the East and the village of Tell El Eias to the West.
The History and establishment of El Alamein
We know too little about the area of El Alamein except for the results of the Polish archeological mission that have unearthed a necropolis that dates back to the Ptolemaic and the Roman ruling periods in Egypt.
Unfortunately, the event that El Alamien became internally famous for was a bloody battle. The battle took place between the Italain and German army troops that were commanded by the German army leader, Marshal Edwin Rommel, whose beach and museum still existing in the city of Marsa Matrouh today, and the Allied forces including the British and the Commonwealth troops.
This harsh battle that took 12 days, from October 23rd till November 4th 1942, has witnessed a great victory of the British troops to the extent that historians claim that it changed the overall results of World War II in general.
The Afrika Troops of the Italian and German forces tried their best to reach Alexandria in Egypt and occupy it. However, they were stopped by the British troops after a long battle where more than 68,000 soldiers died from both sides.
El-Alamein Travel Guide
Many Egyptians enjoy their summer vacation on the beaches of El Alamein and around it including the famous Marina, Marassi, Amwaj, Mena Beach, and Hacienda. Moreover, some tourists spending their vacation in Egypt would visit El Alamien to view some of the monuments of the city and around it.
The most distinctive historical sites of Al Alamien are the cemeteries of the soldiers who died during the battles of the World War II.
The German Cemetery
The German Cemetery is located 3 kilometers to the West of the center of the city of El Alamein. It directly overlooks the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and it is situated on a high cliff.
This graveyard hosts the dead bodies of more than four thousand soldiers and the land was a gift from the Egyptian people to the German authority.
The Cemetery of the Commonwealth
The Cemetery of the Commonwealth is located near the rest house of El Alamein and it hosts the dead bodies of the soldiers who were killed from the Commonwealth troops in the battle of El Alamein.
This cemetery hosts the bodies of more than seven thousand soldiers from Britain, France, Australia, India, South Africa, and Malaysia. This is besides the names of more than 11,000 soldiers whom their bodies were never found.
The Italian Cemetery
The Italian Cemetery is located five kilometers to the West of the center of the city of El Alamien. It is considered to be the most remarkable among all the international cemeteries in the city due to its wonderful architecture and it hosts a small church and a remarkable museum. It hosts around four thousand Italian soldiers.
Away from these cemeteries there is also the notable World War II Museum in El Alamien that hosts some of the army hardware used in the battles including tanks, military cars, and some boats in the open-air section of the museum.
The museum from inside is divided into three sections, one for the Italain, one for the German, and one for the Commonwealth. The displays include outfits, flags, coins, devices, letters, maps, and many other things the soldiers used in the battle of El Alamien in World War II.